The San Francisco 49ers welcome the St. Louis Rams to town in Week 13 with a chance to clinch the NFC West with a victory. The 49ers can clinch the division for the first time since 2002 with either a win over the St. Louis Rams OR losses by the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals. The 49ers are 13 1/2 point favorites over the Rams so I'd imagine they'd like to just handle their business on Sunday and move on.
The 49ers also have a one-game lead over the New Orleans Saints for the number two seed in the NFC. The 49ers and Saints do not meet up so their first tiebreaker is conference record. Right now the 49ers are 7-1 in conference and the Saints at 5-3. There are a variety of games with different playoff implications, so we'll make picks of the games that matter to the 49ers.
St. Louis Rams @ San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers are huge favorites and look to get back on the winning track against the Rams. While they could very well suffer an emotional letdown, it would be a surprise to see them come up short at home. PICK: 49ers
Philadelphia Eagles @ Seattle Seahawks: This Thursday Night Football contest features two teams that have stumbled around for much of the season trying to get the ship righted. The Seahawks usually play well at home, but considering their stinker against the Redskins last week, even that theory is out the window. The Eagles beat the New York Giants on the road but were then clobbered by the New England Patriots at home. Consider this game a toss-up. PICK: Eagles
Dallas Cowboys @ Arizona Cardinals: The Cowboys head into Arizona with a four-game winning streak and a one-game lead over the New York Giants in the NFC East. The Cardinals are 4-7, but half there wins have come against the last-place St. Louis Rams. They did beat Philadelphia, but the Cowboys are on a roll right now. PICK: Cowboys
Detroit Lions @ New Orleans Saints: The Saints are not perfect at home, but they have come pretty close to invincible at the Superdome. This could get into a bit of a shootout, but I just don't see the Saints losing at home for the foreseeable future. PICK: Saints